Nimzowitsch will always be remembered as the founder of the Hypermodern movement and the author of the undisputed classics My System and Chess Praxis. In his first book, he expounded his theories of prophylaxis, blockades and much more, while providing ground-breaking insights in pawn-structures. In the sequel Nimzowitsch demonstrated how he had successfully tested his theories in his games.

Which pieces to keep and which to exchange is one of the most important questions in chess. This is true in the opening, the middlegame and the endgame. Less experienced players often think exchanging means to swap pieces of equal value and fail to take strategic factors into account. The "feeling" for the right exchange is something a chessplayer has to develop over time. This DVD wants to help to develop this "feeling“.

So you have learned how to play chess, studied tactics and know some basic endgames and openings. What’s next? The glue that binds it all together is strategy. By forming a good plan, chess-players seize strong points on the board and target the opponent’s weaknesses. The author explains how to identify the right strategy in a wide range of typical situations. With his guidance, you will soon be finding good plans on your own – and then it will be time to demonstrate your tactical mastery!

Manuevering - The Art of Piece Play Finding the Best Squares for Your Pieces

Catalog Code: B0095RE

In this book, premier chess instructor and trainer Mark Dvoretsky examines one of the most important aspects of positional skill, namely the art of playing with pieces, of maneuvering and finding the best squares for your pieces.

Dynamic Chess Strategy - 2016 Edition! New Edition of a Modern Classic

Catalog Code: B0167NIC

Grandmaster Mihai Suba, a former Romanian champion and Senior World Chess Champion, has updated his groundbreaking work and extended it with even more entertaining and witty lessons. The result is a thought-provoking and yet practical guide on chess strategy!

Many chess players act intimidated and overly cautious when they have the Black pieces. They are so preoccupied with White’s advantage of the first move, that their predominant urge is to defend against possible threats and to safeguard their position. Adorjan shows that White’s advantage is far from obvious and that winning with Black starts with having the right attitude.This book will convince both club players and professionals that there is no reason to be afraid when playing Black.

Post-beginners should know the basic essentials of chess structures and that is what this modern training manual focuses on. Experienced chess teacher Grandmaster Jörg Hickl helps you to recognize the important characteristics of pawn structures, learn how you can and should develop your pieces, identify how you can improve your position and develop a plan of action. This book provides common sense guidance and Jörg Hickl uses practical examples to explain typical structures, strategies and plans. His tips and exercises are both highly enjoyable and to the point.

The Chess Player's Mating Guide - The King in the Centre - VOL. 1 - IM Robert Ris

Catalog Code: WIN0483CB

In this first volume of the new Mating Guide series, the emphasis will be on how to exploit a vulnerably placed king in the centre. With 10 chapters, 20 illustrative games and key themes including a lead in development, preventing castling, the open e-file and different kinds of sacrifices, this DVD will show you everything you need to know to master mid-board showdowns. The level of the content means it is relevant to both beginners as well as master level players - as both elementary examples (also from my own practice) as well as classical attacking games by elite grandmasters are analysed in detail.

GM Nicholas Pert about his DVD: “After the success of my previous DVD Typical mistakes by 1600-1900 players I decided to produce a follow up DVD aimed at players of a slightly higher level. The examples all come from games played by players with a rating between 1800 and 2100. This DVD offers slightly more complex material than the previous DVD, and will hopefully provide an insight into what I believe are the main errors which stop players of this level to be more successful."

Here IM Paschall analyzes his own games and all of the factors that played into the game progression. While walking through the games Bill gives you tools to build your own game analysis skills to study your own games and learn from them.

Are you serious about becoming a strong, perhaps even titled, player? Positional chess understanding is what separates the great from the good. Imagine you’re in the last round of a major international tournament, half a point behind your opponent. A victory will guarantee 1st place and a $20,000 prize. As you play, everything on the board is clear to you. You play moves restricting your opponent until he can only shuffle his pieces back and forth whilst yours grow ever more powerful. When every piece is ideally placed, you smash open the position, your opponent defenceless. A short while later, he offers his hand in resignation and you know you’ve done it!

It is the imbalances in chess that make for really exciting games. Whether it be exchanging a knight for 2 pawns or your Queen for 3 minor pieces, you will be reaching far more positions with winning chances than players who miss these opportunities. Understanding how to change the nature of the game with piece imbalances shows real chess insight and creativity and this 3 ½ hour DVD from FM Alisa Melekhina is a comprehensive course on how to do just that.

If you want to improve your strategic play then it is important to study GM level strategic games with clear explanations. This was the inspiration for this Course from GM Damian Lemos, “Crushing Strategy”. Featuring 4 deeply analyzed games, GM Lemos reveals what the winners saw in the position that their opponent did not and the thinking process that allowed them to create a long-term strategy. It is this way of looking at the position and formulating a plan which will be of great help in taking the ambitious chess player’s game to the next level.

To win games against strong players you need an extra set of skills to the usual attacking ideas. There are many careful players who will close the position or passively defend until you try something too optimistic, giving away material or making a concession which eventually allows them to win. Incredibly frustrating! To beat these guys you need to master the art of positional chess and that is exactly what GM Damian Lemos helps you achieve in “Positional Mastery”. By studying the textbook examples in this Course you will learn how to constantly ask questions of your opponent, forcing them to solve subtle problems until they make a mistake and you win.

This book, written by the hugely popular chess writer Andrew Soltis, is the only one that will help you up your game. He explains if you should exchange your bishop for a knight, which pair of bishops to exchange, when it's important to keep rooks on the board, and when to refuse any trade.

Lessons with Grandmaster 3 Strategic and Tactical Ideas in Modern Chess

Catalog Code: B0412EM

This is the third book in the highly acclaimed Lessons with a Grandmaster series. It bridges the gap between great player and amateur through a series of conversations between teacher, the renowned Grandmaster Boris Gulko, and student Dr. Joel R. Sneed, a professor of psychology and amateur chess player. The lessons are based on Gulko’s own battles against fellow Grandmasters.

Bryan takes us through various strategies for using Pawns in your game. Illustrated with real games the lectures cover topes of : Pawns In the attack, Petrosian's Pawn Artistry, Doubled Pawns and Weak Squares, Break the Rules Sometimes, Breaking Through the Pawn Chain.

Sarkhan Guliev presents a wide range of strategic manoeuvres that have been repeatedly employed by great chess players. He shows how masters generate ideas from the games of other masters: positional sacrifices, amazing counterplay concepts, unorthodox exchanges, winning with h2-h4, overcoming a blockade, the advantages of double pawns, the e5 pawn wedge, the uses of the queen-bishop battery, and much more.

Sarkhan Guliev presents a wide range of strategic manoeuvres that have been repeatedly employed by great chess players. He shows how masters generate ideas from the games of other masters: positional sacrifices, amazing counterplay concepts, unorthodox exchanges, winning with h2-h4, overcoming a blockade, the advantages of double pawns, the e5 pawn wedge, the uses of the queen-bishop battery, and much more.

As the National Head Coach for the English Chess Federation I train many improving players, and see some typical mistakes that repeat themselves. In this DVD I have taken a large collection of games played by players, predominantly in the rating range 1600-1900, and I have looked for typical mistakes. Each theme has several examples to demonstrate typical mistakes, and there are various test throughout the DVD so that the viewer can try and find the best move in certain positions. This should be a great tool for players to use in order to improve their middlegame and endgame play. It will hopefully also highlight any areas that you need to work on in order to improve quickly. Enjoy the DVD!

In celebration of the 10th anniversary of the original ''Basics of Winning Chess'', Andrew Martin is back with version 2.0 of his best-selling DVD. Chess has changed dramatically over the last decade and standards seem higher than ever. We must attempt to keep up! It is often said that the strongest players operate like machines. Once they get a winning position, they win it. Version 2.0 draws extensively from modern chess practice. Virtually all the games are instructive and of high quality. Nearly all are from recent times and many have notes, which you may use for extra study. It gives you a roadmap for improvement. The DVD will be particularly useful for players within the rating band 1200-2200. It is a tour of the modern game.”

This DVD consists of studying the strategic game, while acting as a guide for learning how Super GMs dominate positional chess. Over the course of these videos you will see master games explained in-depth by GM Lemos, placing emphasis on every move, explaining the motive and the distinct reasoning and thinking that causes GMs to make certain decisions.

This DVD shows us the secrets of chess strategy at the highest level through extensively-analyzed master games. Emphasizing the correct plans and ideas at every moment, it is a series for advanced players to complement their training with an aspect more difficult than tactics.

An in-depth study of the 28 most common structures in chess practice, it offers a carefully selected model games showing each structure’s main plans and ideas, Strategic patterns to observe and typical pitfalls to avoid
and 50 positional exercises with detailed solutions

In chess, like in real life, one frequently faces temptations: to grab a pawn, to occupy an open file, to start a kingside attack and so on. There is nothing fundamentally wrong with all these ideas, but before undertaking such concrete actions, one should be sure the position is ripe for it. The second DVD deals with the middlegame positions where static factors play a determining part, permanently taking into account the inseparable dynamic and tactical elements. The videos are interactive, featuring training questions in the critical moments. You can further sharpen your skills with the included database, which contains games covering themes that correspond to the ideas presented on the DVD.

In ''Using the Initiative'', Grandmaster Simon Williams explains the ideas behind his play in two of his games where the correct use of the initiative has proved critical. Follow Simon as he provides his audience with an essential insight into the working thought processes of a Grandmaster – a must for any chess enthusiast looking to improve!

In ''Thinking Outside of the Box'', Grandmaster Simon Williams explains how a viewer can improve their game by spotting unusual but very effective ideas. This includes strategic knight manoeuvres, clever bishop moves and other concepts that will be invaluable to any player wishing to improve their game.

Within this DVD the viewer will learn a great deal about Middlegame Pawn structures. Ivan looks at isolated pawns, symmetrical pawns and a vast array of other structures, whilst teaching us some valuable lessons. Ivan does this by first building up the position from its bare roots and then adding material, so each aspect of the position is understood.

Aimed at club, congress and county players, this DVD provides a vital insight into how a grandmaster thinks and the reasoning behind his choice of moves. In this DVD, Danny provides useful guidance to players who are looking to improve their thinking during a game by analysing the typical strategic plans from the opening until late in the middlegame. Are you ready to go beyond the basics? If the answer is a resounding ‘yes’ then follow Danny as he explains the fundamental ideas and principles behind some of the most complex and challenging positions.

We have all seen games – and perhaps even played them – in which a difficult or lost game is salvaged by a brilliant drawing combination. In the early 1970s, Soviet International Master Leonid Verkhovsky collected some of the most fantastic draws ever played.

We have all seen games – and perhaps even played them – in which a difficult or lost game is salvaged by a brilliant drawing combination. In the early 1970s, Soviet International Master Leonid Verkhovsky collected some of the most fantastic draws ever played.

Understanding how to use pawns and how to handle different pawn structures are important topics for young or improving players to consider. On this new ChessBase DVD, IM and FIDE Senior Trainer Andrew Martin investigates the notion that ‘pawns are the soul of chess’ and tries to explain exactly what this means. The effective use of pawns in the opening leads to the correct development of the pieces and a good game springs naturally from there. The pawn structure must be considered throughout the game and this is something that Martin also touches upon. The viewer will be treated to a tour of excellent games, both old and new, many from the period 2012-2014, which highlight key ideas about the correct use of pawns and from which one cannot fail to improve one’s technique. Thus this DVD is ideal for players below 1800 or indeed ambitious players of any level.

In Attack & Defence Jacob Aagaard presents the main principles of how to attack and defend in chess. By carving dynamic chess into separate areas of ability, he gives the reader a clear way to expand his understanding of this vital part of the game.

Defend Like a Super Grandmaster with Maxim Dlugy is an instructional DVD focusing on how to play in difficult and sometimes losing positions. Maxim Dlugy looks at some of the most important games in his career, outlining various techniques in saving bad positions or defending positions where your opponent has the initiative. All the key moments in the games are examined and after watching the video you are ready to save and even win bad positions.

The DVD is divided into 4 parts and is presented by FM Alisa Melekhina with an honest look at how she is striving to improve her own ability when 'Converting Advantages' as this in area she has struggled with in the past.